Forensic Drug Analysis

Understand what science requires to positively identify drugs of abuse in pre-consumption form.

How? By hands-on testing in a real lab for 4 days.

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Is that tablet legal or illicit?

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Is that white powder cocaine?

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What is the concentration of the heroin seized?

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Is this a counterfeit or genuine pharmaceutical drug?

Understand how laboratories identify drugs of abuse in their pre-consumption form.

“Learn the mistakes that analysts can make – by making them yourself.” – Lawyer-Scientist Rick Ramos

The 2nd of 4 courses needed to earn the ACS-CHAL Lawyer-Scientist Designation

Register Now - $3,995.00

After this course you will be able to competently represent people charged with possession of controlled substances and/or possession with intent and/or manufacturing.

Forensic Drug Analysis provides hands-on experience with the scientific techniques used to test drugs of abuse in their pre-consumption form.

The essential element of the crime charged is that the seized unknown is in fact all illegal drug. For far too long, lawyers have accepted that the seized evidence is an illegal drug just because of one sentence in a crime lab report. You can change that paradigm with the knowledge you gain in this course. Like South Carolina Attorney Joe Good:

“To just accept that test as confirmatory would be crazy, because it’s not.”

Hear what other students say.

Get hands-on experience testing unknowns using

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reagents (colormetric tests)

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GC-MS instruments

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GC-FID instruments

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FTIR instruments

Course Description & Schedule

By the end of this course, lawyers will be able to understand how drug testing in pre-consumption form (solid drug dose) is conducted for nearly all drugs of abuse, sources of uncertainty (misidentification) of the qualitative measure, sources of uncertainty (wrong concentration or weight) of the quantitative measure, representative sampling, validation of methods, bench work, and federal analog act prosecution.

Day 1

8:45 am	Introduction to Forensic Drug Chemistry Why is this different than DUI? Drug evidence and drug analyses
	The Government’s Burden: Accurate and Reliable Science The capital properties of analytical chemistry What makes good science? Quality assurance/Quality control Accreditation Requirements
	Break
	Guided exercise: Introduction to ISO Guide 17025 and ASCLD/LAB and lab discovery requests
	Lunch: Fun Chicago lunch included
	Anatomy of a Drug Case Chain of custody Evidence description Weighing, sampling, and uncertainty Drug analysis/qualitative analysis
	Break
	Anatomy of a Drug Case—Presumptive Testing Color Tests
	Anatomy of a Drug Case—Confirmatory Testing Sample extraction for GC/MS
	Break
	Live Demonstration of Color Testing and Sample Preparation
	Lab exercise: Color testing and sample prep at the bench Prepare and load GC/MS sequences
5:30 pm	End of session

Day 2

9:00 am	Guided exercise: Data analysis for color testing
	Anatomy of a Drug Case—Confirmatory Testing GC/MS
	Break
	Guided exercise: GC/MS data analysis (instructor provided data files)
	Lunch: Fun Chicago lunch included
	Lab exercise: GC/MS data analysis of case samples
	Break
	Anatomy of a Drug Case—Confirmatory Testing FTIR
	Break
	Lab exercise: FTIR analysis of samples
5:30 pm	End of session

Day 3

9:00 am	Guided exercise: Conclusions = Color test + GC/MS + FTIR
	Qualitative Drug Analysis Conclusions SWGDRUG Reviewable data QC data Conclusions and Reporting Accurate and Reliable
	Break
	Marijuana Analysis: The SWGDRUG exception Validation is not general acceptance
	Lab exercise: Botanical testing—microscopy, Duquenois-Levine and TLC
	Lunch: Fun Chicago lunch included
	Continue lab exercise: Botanical testing
	Guided exercise: Data analysis for botanical testing
	Break
	Live Demonstration of Cross-Exam of Marijuana Analyst
	Break
	Currency Analysis with the IONSCAN
5:30 pm	End of session

Day 4

9:00 am	Modern Issues in Forensic Drug Chemistry The wave of new drugs Legislative control by chemical class Analog laws and prosecutions
	Break
	Modern Issues in Forensic Drug Chemistry McFadden v. US
	Live Demonstration of Cross-Exam of Cocaine Analyst
1:00 pm	End of session

Are you currently able to vigorously represent your clients when the crime lab report says it’s illegal drugs?

Invest 4 days and get the total immersion training you need to understand forensic drug analysis.

We know it’s easy to get lost with the science. So here is some help.

Hands-on experience is essential to “understand how all the mistakes can possible be made, and [how to] use them for you clients advantage.” James Fletcher